Following an exhaustive national search, Oregon State University’s College of Agricultural Sciences has named Dr. James Sulikowski as the director of the Coastal Oregon Marine Experiment Station (COMES).
Sulikowski joins COMES from Arizona State University where his former roles included the Associate Director in the School of Mathematical & Natural Sciences, and Director of the Interdisciplinary Blue Science Laboratory. Prior to his leadership there, he held a number of high-profile positions at both the University of Florida and the University of New England, as well as serving on both the Mid-Atlantic and New England Fisheries Management Councils. A renowned expert in sharks with deep experience in commercial fisheries and marine science, Sulikowski brings more than 25 years of interdisciplinary research and entrepreneurial administrative leadership to COMES. His work has appeared on numerous national television shows including Discovery Channel’s “Shark Week,” NBC’s “Today Show,” National Geographic “Ocean Mysteries with Jeff Corwin,” and the BBC series “Rise of Animals.”
“We are excited to have James join the team and take on this leadership role at one of the most diverse marine research stations on the west coast,” said Staci Simonich, Dean of the College of Agricultural Sciences and Director of the Oregon Agricultural Experiment Station. “His expertise in recognizing the profound importance of the ocean to both coastal and landlocked communities make him a fantastic fit to address the dynamic and complex balance between the needs of humans and the conservation of our critical natural marine resources.”
COMES includes two locations in Newport and Astoria, with key research focused on an array of issues and disciplines, including: aquaculture, big fish, marine fisheries genomics, fisheries conservation and behavior, marine fisheries ecology, commercial fisheries, oceanography and population dynamics, resource economics and marketing, environmental economics, seafood safety, quality and processing, nutritional pharmacology, and food processing and engineering With its scientists leading efforts in food production, economic development, and conservation, COMES serves a diverse network of stakeholders whose common goals are found in the long-term health and vitality of our marine resources and the communities that depend upon them.
“COMES plays a critical role in advancing discovery, with deeply embedded relationships in the varied communities that they serve,” Sulikowski explained. “I am excited to help lead COMES through the next phase of growth and to create a structural and functional powerhouse within the U.S. Pacific Coast and beyond.”
Sulikowski will begin his new role as director of COMES on May 15.